26 August 2012 Opposition: Manchester City

26 August2012 26 Date: 26 August 2012 Guardian Mirror BBC Opposition: Manchester City Independent Mail MEN Telegraph Echo Times Competition: League Coates 6, M Skrtel 6, G Johnson 7 - Lucas Leiva (sub: J Shelvey, 56 7), J Allen 8 - F Borini 7 (sub: A Carroll, 84), S Gerrard 6, R Sterling 7 - L Suarez 6. Substitutes not Rodgers defends Skrtel as flawed City fight back used: B Jones, J Carragher, J Henderson, S Downing. Booked: Suarez. Manchester City (3-4-1-2): J Hart 5 - K Toure 4, V Kompany 5, P Zabaleta 5 - J Milner 5 (sub: D Liverpool Skrtel 34, Suarez 66 2 Manchester City Y Toure 63, Tevez 80 2 Referee A Silva, 75), N de Jong 5, Y Toure 7, A Kolarov 6 - S Nasri 5 (sub: J Rodwell, 60 6) - M Marriner Attendance 44,942 On an enthralling afternoon at Balotelli 5 (sub: E Dzeko, 62 7), C Tevez 8. Substitutes not used: C Pantilimon, S Anfield, Liverpool were undone - and Manchester City saved - by the type of error Savic, J Lescott, A Razak. that usually sends a manager's blood pressure soaring through the roof. With ten minutes remaining and his team leading 2-1, Martin Skrtel played a careless back pass that was ruthlessly punished by Carlos Tevez to the sounds of groans from a hitherto exuberant Kop. Martin Skrtel's gift gives Manchester City a draw against Liverpool It was the kind of mistake that often sees a player blanked, subjected to a blast of Brendan Rodgers will be tormented by the manner in which Liverpoolsurrendered invective or dragged back to the scene of the crime to have the figurative "Row Z" their first Premier League win under his stewardship. His team had played with pointed out to him to ensure that it never happens again. But that is not Brendan great vibrancy but they were undone by the kind of defensive mistake that will fill Rodgers's style. From Liverpool's manager, denied an uplifting victory in his first their manager with intense frustration, just as he might have been tempted to Barclays Premier League match at Anfield, there was an arm around the shoulder think everything was starting to click into place. for Skrtel, whom he indulged and encouraged to be brave enough to take Martin Skrtel was the man waving an apologetic hand and wearing the expression approximately the same risk again in future. of someone who could scarcely believe his own carelessness. Liverpool were "It's not frustrating," Rodgers said. "It's all part of the journey. I commend the winning 2-1 when the centre-half tried to play the ball back to his goalkeeper, player's courage. The easy thing is to get a player to smash the ball upfield and Pepe Reina, and succeeded only in teeing up Carlos Tevez for an then the opposition have the ball and they're on the attack again. The angle of the equaliser Manchester City had barely deserved. Skrtel had committed the ball is what we will work on. There's no blame on Martin. For us to dominate defender's sin of passing the ball from a blind position and Tevez, loitering with games we need to have players who have courage on the ball." intent, nipped in to score in front of the Kop and leave Liverpool with only a It is the classic Rodgers pronouncement, often heard during his days at Swansea solitary point from the first two league games of the Rodgers era. City; wherever that journey ends up taking his team, short cuts will not be With Arsenal and Manchester United sandwiching a trip to Sunderland in their allowed. And while that might sound questionable withLiverpool sixteenth in the next three matches, it is not the start Rodgers would have wanted but this was far Premier League after taking a solitary point from their first two games, conceding from a Liverpool performance to inspire any sense of unease, certainly not in the five goals, this was an afternoon that brought encouragement, not least in the manner of their 3-0 defeat at West Bromwich. They were the better side for long contributions of Joe Allen and Raheem Sterling, the precocious 17-year-old periods and, though they must feel great exasperation, they can still take winger. encouragement from they way they tackled the champions. If nothing else, it All that encouragement, though, will be tempered by an unexpected sense of should soothe any lingering nerves from what happened at The Hawthorns. disappointment for Liverpool. They caught Manchester City on an off-day and, Liverpool not only played with great industry and togetherness but demonstrated having played well to lead deservedly at 1-0 and 2-1, they let them off the hook. a sense of belief that must have invigorated their crowd. The home side could As for whether Roberto Mancini might regard it as two points dropped or one easily have lost direction after Yaya Touré's equaliser had threatened to turn the point gained, his immediate focus might be on a point proven to his board about game in City's favour after 63 minutes. Instead, the players in red rolled up their the need to add more than Scott Sinclair, the Swansea winger, to his squad before sleeves and set about the business of reasserting their authority. the transfer deadline on Friday. Luis Suárez's wonderfully taken free-kick put them back into the lead within three The champions have begun their title defence in curious fashion. Yesterday saw a minutes and, at that point, City looked vulnerable and short of ideas. Roberto reversion to the 3-4-1-2 formation seen in the Community Shield and on this Mancini argued that his team had more than matched their opponents, going on occasion, with a rusty Kolo Toure bewilderingly preferred to Joleon Lescott, it did to say that not many other sides would create so many chances at Anfield. It was not convince. Tevez was a rare source of positivity, along with the character they a generous appraisal. City started the game well and might even have snatched a showed after falling 2-1 down, but they looked dysfunctional in falling behind to winner during an entertaining second half but the champions looked flat and Skrtel's 34th-minute header and then, after Yaya Toure's equaliser, a Luis Suarez unusually subdued in other periods. Mancini was experimenting with the 3-4-1-2 free kick. Rodgers's Liverpool is perhaps epitomised by Allen, diminutive but formation he tried out in the Community Shield and the conclusion is they are a highly economical in midfield, but the eye was constantly drawn to Sterling. He more potent outfit in their usual 4-2-3-1 system. showed a wonderful confidence on his first Premier League start. There was also the latest sign of possible discord behind the scenes when, losing From one Sterling cross, Fabio Borini volleyed just wide in the eighteenth minute 1-0, Mancini gave some instructions to James Milner and his player responded and it was at that point that the belief from the home players and supporters with a steam of invective. Too much can be read into these moments sometimes seemed to rise. Liverpool grew in confidence and, after Martin Kelly's cross was and it is too simplistic to say it represents a lack of team spirit. City have shown on deflected over the crossbar by a stretching Vincent Kompany, Steven Gerrard's plenty of occasions this is far from the truth. Equally, however, these little corner was met with a thumping header from Skrtel. outbursts happen too often with this group of players. Despite the early loss of Lucas Leiva to a thigh injury, Liverpool were looking Mancini's anger was more focused on his team's marking for the opening goal assured in midfield, their only scare in the first half coming when Samir Nasri's when Steven Gerrard's corner was delivered with speed and curl and Skrtel pass allowed Tevez to dribble around Pepe Reina, who deflected the ensuing shot attacked the ball in the manner of someone whose only intention was to score. on to a post. By half-time City were looking sloppy and, as Nigel de Jong's pass Aleksandar Kolarov, the nearest opponent, was nothing like as decisive and was intercepted by Borini and then wasted by Suarez early in the second half, the Skrtel's header powered its way beyond Joe Hart. The defender's afternoon would feeling grew that something would have to change. form a wild graph of different emotions. Liverpool had been threatening City's Rather than send on David Silva, Mancini replaced Nasri with Jack Rodwell, but goal for the previous quarter of an hour and finished the first half on top by some that allowed him to move Yaya Toure farther forward - and within four minutes distance. Joe Allen was prominently involved, linking up promisingly with Gerrard. the midfielder had equalised. The goal could be traced back to a stray pass from Suárez was joined in attack by Fabio Borini on the right and Raheem Sterling on Gerrard, but there were mistakes from Liverpool the left, offering plenty of movement and penetration against the new-look City all along the line after that, as Sterling was left isolated against Tevez, who beat defence, most surprisingly featuring Kolo Touré ahead of Joleon Lescott. him easily and then sent a cross that Reina, Skrtel and Kelly all failed to deal with, Sterling justified his selection with some lovely flashes of old-fashioned wing play, allowing Yaya Toure to convert.

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